Warminster Line

Warminster Line
Northbound Warminster Line train leaving the Melrose Park station in Cheltenham
Overview
Type	Commuter rail line
System	SEPTA
Status	Operating
Termini	University City Warminster
Stations	17
Website	septa.org
Operation
Operator(s)	SEPTA Regional Rail
Rolling stock	Electric Multiple Units
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map Legend University City 30th Street Station Suburban Station Jefferson Station Reading Terminal former terminus, closed 1984 Temple University Manayunk/Norristown Line Wayne Junction Chestnut Hill East Line Fox Chase Line Fern Rock Transportation Center Melrose Park Elkins Park Jenkintown-Wyncote West Trenton Line Glenside Lansdale/Doylestown Line Ardsley Roslyn Crestmont Willow Grove Norfolk Southern Trenton Cutoff Fulmor closed 1996 Hatboro Warminster New Hope and Ivyland Railroad

The Warminster Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail. It serves stations between its namesake town, Warminster, and Center City, Philadelphia. Half of the route is shared by other lines, including the Lansdale/Doylestown Line, West Trenton Line, Fox Chase Line, Chestnut Hill East Line, and Manayunk/Norristown Line.

History and route

The Warminster Line uses the SEPTA Main Line between Center City and Glenside, where it branches off onto its own line to Hatboro and Warminster. The tracks continue past Warminster to Ivyland and eventually to New Hope, where the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad runs heritage excursion trains.

North of Glenside the line was built by the Northeast Pennsylvania Railroad, first opened November 9, 1873 from Glenside on the North Pennsylvania Railroad to Ivyland. The rest of the line to New Hope opened April 29, 1891. The North Pennsylvania Railroad was later taken over by the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, later Reading Lines (RDG). Electrified service via pantagraph wires opened to Hatboro July 26, 1931 (along with Doylestown on RDG's Doylestown Branch, West Trenton on RDG's New York Division, and Lansdale, a junction where RDG's North Penn Branch and Doylestown Branch merge). In the days of passenger service on what was originally labeled by the RDG as the New Hope Branch, as many as 10 trains a day would make round trips on the line.

In 1952, all passenger service ceased north of Hatboro to New Hope, with every station except Rushland, Wycombe, Lahaska and New Hope being demolished in 1954. Between 1952 and 1966, only freight trains traveled north of Hatboro to serve customers in Warminster, Ivyland, Rushland, Buckingham and New Hope. In 1966, the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad (NHIR) was launched and purchased 16 miles of track from Ivyland to New Hope. After 1966, Ivyland served as a freight interchange between RDG and NHIR and the RDG relabeled their remaining ownership of the line as the Warminster Branch. Not only did they transport freight, but also run scenic heritage excursions, originally from New Hope to Buckingham, but has been cutback to Lahaska in the 1980s. However, passenger service between Warminster and Hatboro was still inactive.

In 1971, RDG filed for bankruptcy after a variety of misfortunes; among them are increased use of trucks and a dwindling economy. The court issued a bankruptcy protection so RDG can still operate. On July 29, 1974, passenger service was reinstated after RDG completed an extension of the electrification from Hatboro (the original electrified terminus) to Warminster. Willow Grove and Warminster stations were also rebuilt in the same year. By that time, executives of RDG didn't see their debt becoming any better. Less than two years later, RDG's rolling stock, right-of-ways, interests and stock were in the hands of Conrail, also known as the Consolidated Rail Corporation, which launched operations on April 1, 1976. In 1983, SEPTA took control of the Warminster Branch.

The Warminster Line becomes a single-track line just north of Ardsley, but was once double-tracked as far north as Roslyn, the original northbound track being removed in 2010. A passing siding exists north of Willow Grove.

The majority of weekday trains run through the Center City tunnel and terminate at 30th Street Station. All weekend Warminster trains operate through the Center City tunnel and run to or from the Airport Line, providing service to University City, Eastwick, and Philadelphia Int'l Airport stations.

On April 18, 2016, SEPTA launched positive train control on the Warminster Line, the first Regional Rail line to use the signal system which will enhance safety.

Name change

On July 25, 2010 SEPTA renamed the service from the R2 Warminster to simply the Warminster Line as part of system-wide service change that drops the R-number naming and makes the Center City stations the terminus for all lines. This also ended the combined R2 Newark/R2 Warminster service.

Station list

Boldface indicates a major station.

Zone	Milepost	Station	Boardings	City/Township	County	Notes
C	2.1	Temple University	3,028	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	all lines; high-level platforms
1	5.1	Wayne Junction	527			also West Trenton Line, Lansdale/Doylestown Line, Chestnut Hill East Line and Fox Chase Line
	7.3	Fern Rock Transportation Center	825			also West Trenton Line and Doylestown Line; high-level platforms
2	8.4	Melrose Park	458	Cheltenham	Montgomery	also West Trenton Line and Doylestown Line
	9.2	Elkins Park	632			also West Trenton Line and Doylestown Line
3	10.8	Jenkintown-Wyncote	1,998	Cheltenham/Jenkintown		also West Trenton Line and Doylestown Line   Aerial photo
	11.9	Glenside	1,068	Cheltenham		also Doylestown Line
	13.0	Ardsley	175	Abington
	14.2	Roslyn	198
	15.4	Crestmont	89
	16.2	Willow Grove	472	Upper Moreland
		Fulmor				closed November 10, 1996
	18.6	Hatboro	457	Hatboro		End of electrification until 1974
	20.1	Warminster	1,295	Warminster	Bucks	high level platform

Ridership

Fiscal year	Average weekday	Annual passengers
FY 2014	8,434	2,459,262
FY 2013	8,580	2,501,832
FY 2012	8,492	2,476,132
FY 2011	9,130	2,662,200
FY 2010	9,139	2,715,105
FY 2009	8,590	2,551,344
FY 2008	8,139	2,418,100
FY 2005	7,161	2,061,395
FY 2004	7,651	2,147,531
FY 2003	7,770	2,048,300
FY 2001	n/a	2,046,000
FY 2000	n/a	2,079,000
FY 1999	n/a	1,794,000
FY 1997	n/a	1,805,371
FY 1996	n/a	1,800,748
FY 1995	6,416	1,757,197
FY 1994	5,866	1,369,173
FY 1993	4,485	1,027,837
Note: n/a = not available

External links

• SEPTA – Warminster line schedule PDF
• Railroad History Database
• The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society